Supporting-band for trousers and other garments.



G. A. BLAKE. SUPPORTING BAND FOR TROUSERS AND OTHER GARMBNTS. APPLIOATION FILED AUG.17, 1909.

' 954,8%9, Patented Apr. 12,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

v 0. A. BLAKE. SUPPORTING BAND FOR TROUSERS AND OTHER GARMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 17, 1909.

Patented Apr. 12, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES I I Z Op 974% I m% m4mm ANDREW RG'IANAM 1:0- Puovu-uruocmwiks. WAEM-NGTON n, c.

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFTCE.

CHARLES A. BLAKE, OF ROANOKE, VIRGINIA.

SUPPORTING-BAND FOR TROUSERS AND OTHER GARMENTS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. BLAKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Roanoke, in the county of Roanoke and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Supporting- Bands for Trousers and other Garments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in waist-bands or belts adapted for supporting garments, and more particularly designed for use in connection with trousers.

/Vhile the invention has special utility when employed as a trousers support, it is, in certain of its aspects, equally applicable for supporting skirts, etc. In the following specification and claims, therefore, the word trousers is used as illustrative only, it being understood that it is to be interpreted as covering any garment whatever, supported from the waist, wherever the context admits of such meaning. With the ordinary belt, used for this purpose, there is a constant tendency for the garment to slip downward below the waist-line at the rear, and because of this tendency it is customary, in making trousers to be supported by belts to cut them lower at the top than where the trousers are intended to be supported by suspenders alone.

The object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a belt which shall be thoroughly effective in supporting a pair of trousers or other garment around the waist of the wearer, in such a manner as to be illvisible, and render it unnecessary to wear straps over the shoulders.

By means of my ii'nprovements, the trousers, whether cut low or of the usual height at the waist, maybe supported so that the waist band at the rear will retain its normal position, and this without requiring an uncomfortable belt pressure against the body of the wearer.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate my invention,Figure 1 is a rear elevation of my improved band or belt; Fig. 2 is a front view of the upper portion of a pair of trousers, the band being shown therein, in perspective; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one form of stay; F ig. 4c is a similar view of a modification; Fig. 5 is a similar view of a fastening device adapted to be secured to the trousers for engaging the corresponding device of the belt; Fig. 6 is a similar view of a different form of fasten- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. August 17, 1909.

Patented Apr. 12, 1910.

Serial No. 513,341.

ing device. Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing such fastening device in position; Fig. 8 is a diagram, in rear elevation, showing the relation of my improved belt to the frame of the body; and, Fig. 9 is a similar view, in side elevation.

Referring to the drawing, A indicates the supporting belt or band, as a whole, which is preferably made of elastic webbing, and which is provided, at its ends, with any suitable form of fastening device, such as the hooks 1 and eyes 2. The upper edge a of the belt is straight, or approximately so, when the belt is laid out flat, as shown in Fig. 1, and the parts 3 and 4, which are adapted to fit against the sides and abdomen of the wearer, at the waist-line, are of the width of an ordinary belt, being narrow as compared with the back portion 5. The lower edge of the back portion curves downward from the parts 3 and 4:, as indicated at a, so as to follow the lines of the body over the hip bones, H, (see Fig. 8) and at its central part 66 the lower edge of the back portion extends far enough down to rest against the natural rearward protuberance at the lower end of the spine, so that, when the belt is in position, the hips and said protuberance form supports for the lower edge of the belt which prevent it from slipping farther downward at the back, while the parts 3 and a are supported by the pelvic bones.

Fig. 9 clearly illustrates the manner in which the wide part of the belt follows the natural curvature of the spine. It will be noted that, when viewed in a vertical plane, this portion of the belt assumes a slightly concave form, as indicated at a and thus seats snugly against the body, below the waist line, the stays having sufficient flexibility to permit this.

The stay B, of thin fiat whalebone, sheet metal, or other elastic stifiening material, is secured in suitable pockets in the back portion of the belt. This stay comprises the two limbs b which are either integrally connected, as shown in Fig. 3, or separately formed and pivotally or otherwise connected together, as shown in Fig. 4. A fastening device, such as the stud or button 6, is secured to the stay, at its apex, and the shank of this stud may be the means for connecting the two limbs of the stay together, when the stay is composed of two parts, as shown in Fig. 4. This stay, when arranged in the belt has the form of an inverted letter V, with its apex at or near the upper edge of the belt at the center line of the back portion, while the two limbs of the stay extend diagonally in opposite directions toward the lower edge of the back portion. The belt may also be provided, near its upper edge, with other studs, 6 at the front, and G", at the sides, and the various studs are adapted to engage with button holes, provided in the waist-band of the trousers; or metal clips C, each having a button hole 7, may be attached to the waist-band of the trousers in position to be engaged by the studs or buttons on the belt. Any other suitable fastening means may be employed for connecting the waistband of the trousers to the belt, either detachably or permanently.

A convenient fastening device is shown in Figs. 6 and 7, and is of such a character that it may be readily detached both from the garment and from the belt. D represents the device in its entirety. It comprises a U-shaped piece, (I, of sheet metal, having a safety pin (Z secured thereto, at the bend. This U-shaped device is adapted to embrace the belt, as clearly shown in Fig. 7, and the garment X, is secured thereto by means of the pin cl. In order to hold the device on the belt, a pivoted lever (Z is provided, having teeth d, on its inner end, which bite into the belt in a well known manner.

F or convenience the part a of the belt is longer than the part 3, so that the belt may be fastened at one side of the fly of the trousers. This permits the fastening stud (5 to be located immediately at the front of the belt where support is needed for the trousers, and it enables the wearer to open or close the fly without unfastening the belt.

Since the lower edge of the belt at the rear is prevented from sliding downward by the natural outward curve of the body, and since the upper edge of the belt is supported by the stay, and prevented from sagging, it

will be seen that the trousers, attached at f the apex of the stay, will be supported at the i rear at their normal height, under all circumstances, while at the sides the belt and trousers will be supported by the hip bones in the usual manner.

hat I claim l. A garment supporting device comprising a band adapted to extend around the waist of the wearer and having a back portion extending below the waist-line, and a flexible stay secured to said back portion, said stay comprising upwardly converging limbs, and a fastening device arranged at the converging ends of the stay adapted to engage the garment.

2. A garment supporting device comprising a band adapted to extend around the waist of the wearer and having an approximately straight upper edge lying normally in a horizontal plane, said band having a back portion of gradually increasing width extending below the side portions of the belt, the lower edge of such back portion being concave on each side so as to fit above the hip bones, a stay, comprising upwardly converging flexible limbs secured to said back portion and to each other, and means for suspending a garment from the upper edge of the belt.

8. A garment supporting device compris ing a band adapted to extend around the waist of the wearer inside of the garment to be supported, and having an integral back portion of gradually increasing width extending below the side portions of the belt and below the waist line of the wearer, said back portion being adapted to l ar upon and conform to the curve of the hips and the natural outward projection of the body, a stay secured to the said back portion to stiffen the same, and means for attaching a garment to the upper edge of said belt.

In testimony whereof I attix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

. CHARLES A. 'BLKIUJ.

\Vitnesses MAnsHALL MCCORMICK, MARY B. MARTIN. 

